Sean Holley and Scott Johnson leave the Ospreys

Sean Holley and Scott Johnson have left the Ospreys with immediate effect. In separate statements, the club released details of the pair’s departure on Wednesday morning:

“Sean, who has been with the Ospreys since their inception in 2003, will leave the organisation with immediate effect following discussions with the board over the future direction of the region. The discussions follow the announcement in December that Director of Coaching, Scott Johnson, is also to leave the Ospreys, which has led to a top-to-toe review of the Ospreys coaching set-up.

Holley said: “The Ospreys will always be my home region. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride but I can honestly say I have thrived on it, put my heart and soul into it and tried to embrace it. I could not have survived the constant expectation and pressure that comes with the job without the support of my family and friends, many of our true supporters, and in particular the team management and the players.”

Johnson’s departure comes after discussions between Johnson, Director of Coaching at the region, and the Board of Directors, and follows on from the announcement that Head Coach, Sean Holley is also leaving the Ospreys.

Speaking about his decision to step down now, rather than at the end of the season as previously announced, Johnson commented: “After talking through the issues facing the business with the Board, we’ve come to a decision that is for the good of the organisation as a whole, which means that I’ll be giving up my post with immediate effect.

I’ll leave with only happy memories from my time with the Ospreys and I’ve made some great mates for life among the business. For me personally, the next few months will allow me to head back to Australia to catch up with my family and to get over the illness that I’ve suffered with over the last two years, before taking up the post with Scotland at the end of the season.”

Ospreys Rugby later confirmed that Steve Tandy has been appointed to the post of Head Coach following the departure of Sean Holley and will take charge of team affairs at the region ahead of Friday’s RaboDirect PRO12 fixture against Aironi at the Liberty Stadium. 32-year old Tandy, from Tonmawr, will be assisted by current Forwards Coach Jonathan Humphreys, with the full make-up of his coaching team to be confirmed.

“This is an excellent opportunity for me and I’m really excited about the challenges ahead. Clearly there’s an air of expectation on whoever is in charge at the Ospreys, but having been here since the very beginning I know what to expect. The Ospreys are my home region and I was lucky enough to be able to wear the shirt on 102 occasions. When I was still playing I worked hard to develop as a coach and I’ve been fortunate to be at a region that values coach development as it’s allowed me to get some fantastic experience within the Ospreys and at Bridgend.”

One comment on “Sean Holley and Scott Johnson leave the Ospreys”

This is certainly unexpected. I don’t think anyone can deny that the Ospreys have needed a change for quite some time now, and everyone was expecting that at the end of season. But what do they do for the rest of the season? Hopefully it will release the players to just play some rugby. It can’t have helped having a coaching set up who effectively had one foot out of the door already. I hope the Ospreys don’t just write off this eason though. They still have a decent crack at the Pro12, and even though the one competition they are desperate to win is out of their reach this year, it would be a shame to ignore their bread and butter league.